. >> suarez: benedict's actions stood in particular contrast to that of pope john paul ii, his immediate predecessor, who served 27 years, the second longest of any pope. during that tenure, john paul was shot by a would-be assassin and later contracted parkinson's disease. in his last years he struggled to walk, speak, and even listen until his death in 2005. days later, white smoke arose from the chimney of the sistine chapel to signal cardinal joseph ratzinger election. he was at 78 the oldest pope elected in nearly 300 years. the future benedict xvi was born in germany in 1927, an archbishop of munich and then cardinal. for nearly three decades he was one of pope john paul's most trusted aides enforcing conservative doctrine. as pope he warned against growing secularism in the west. it was not always a popular stance in europe and north america as evidenced today. >> the next pope we need somebody who will modernize the church somewhat and move with the times so that they don't lose their audience and all the younger people. >> hopefully the next pope will be eventually a little bit